Henrique Lage

Henrique Lage was a pioneering Brazilian industrialist who attempted to establish a domestic oil refining industry in the 1920s, before being forced to sell his assets to Standard Oil. His early geological surveys in the Recôncavo basin in Bahia provided the initial proof of concept that Brazil possessed commercial oil reserves, laying the groundwork for the subsequent discovery of the Candeias field in 1941.

Henrique Alberto da Costa Lage was a Brazilian engineer and industrialist who is widely considered the father of the Brazilian oil industry. Operating during the early 20th century, when the global oil market was dominated by foreign majors like Standard Oil and Royal Dutch Shell, Lage recognized the potential for domestic oil production in Brazil and invested heavily in the construction of the country's first oil refinery in the state of Bahia. His decision to challenge the foreign monopoly was a bold move that attracted the attention of the international oil companies, who responded by launching a price war that ultimately forced Lage to sell his assets to Standard Oil in 1928. Despite this setback, Lage's early geological surveys in the Recôncavo basin provided the initial proof of concept that Brazil possessed commercial oil reserves, and his advocacy for a national oil policy influenced the subsequent generation of Brazilian leaders, including Getúlio Vargas. Lage's legacy is the inspiration he provided for the 'O Petróleo é Nosso' campaign and the creation of Petrobras, a legacy that is honored by the company's continued focus on domestic oil production and technological self-sufficiency.